


paint me all your pictures

by barryolivers, fastestmanalive



Series: Thallen Week 2015 [2]
Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, M/M, Thallen Week 2015, model/artist
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-05-26
Updated: 2015-11-01
Packaged: 2018-04-01 04:38:52
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,338
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4006144
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/barryolivers/pseuds/barryolivers, https://archiveofourown.org/users/fastestmanalive/pseuds/fastestmanalive
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Thallen Week Day 2: College AU (+bonus: model/artist)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> soooooo this isn't the first time we collab.... and as always we got a bit carried away and didn't finish in timeso this is a multi-chaptered fic instead of a one-shot now..... oops  
> we'll add more characters/tags/etc as we update. the rating might ~~(will)~~ go up as well.  
>  the (very creative. not.) title is from Summer // Imagine Dragons

“Eddie, I'm sorry.” Caitlin was looking at him with pity in her eyes, a look Eddie knew all too well.

“Cait, please...”

“I can't pass up this opportunity.” She laid a hand on his shoulder and squeezed. “You know how hard it is to get an internship with Dr. Wells.” He nodded and sagged his shoulders. “Next time I'll be your model again, yeah?”

“Of course. Sorry for... I mean, this isn't even my final project, and you worked your ass off for this, and I should be more suppo--”

“Eddie.” Caitlin smiled and held up a hand to stop him. “You _are_ supportive, okay? I get that you're upset... I can help you find someone, if you want.”

Eddie shook his head. "No. You don't need the stress of _my_ work on top of your own." He ran a hand through his hair out of habit. "I'll just put an ad in some paper or something. Pay someone."

Caitlin raised a brow. "Isn't that prostitution?"

Eddie scoffed. "I'm not paying them for _sex_ , Caitlin. Just modelling."

"Naked modelling."

Eddie huffed. “Still. I’m a professional. I won’t-- Nothing will happen, you _know_ me.”

Caitlin patted his cheek with a fond smile. “Of course."

Eddie just raised a brow, not entirely convinced. "You _can_ help me with the ad, though." He stated, changing the subject hastily. "Since this is more than partly your fault."

Caitlin rolled her eyes. “Whatever you want, Thawne.”

"Don't be pissy, Snow. This is your fault."

Caitlin sighed. “I know. And I said I’m sorry.” She crossed her arms. “Are we just gonna argue all day? I thought you had an ad to write.”

" _You_ have an ad to write. I'm waiting on you."

Caitlin gaped a little. “Alright, alright. No need to be rude.” She adjusted the strap of her bag on her shoulder. “Geez, this is really stressing you out, isn’t it?”

"Yes. It's 30% of my final grade." Eddie rolled his eyes.

“And I’ll do my best to help you,” Caitlin retorted. “ _If_ you stop being such a grump. Now, I’m gonna send you the ad tonight, okay?” She pulled him into a hug before he could say anything. “It’ll be fine.”

Eddie hummed. "I'm putting all my faith in you." He pulled away shortly after, patting her arm. They said their goodbyes and parted ways.

 

Eddie sighed as he speed-walked to his room; he _had_ to find a suitable model soon, or he could forget his hopes and dreams of becoming a professional artist. He slammed the door of his room, dumping his bag on the floor. He slid into the chair at his desk and drummed his fingers on the surface, and ran a hand through his hair with his spare hand. Caitlin better get that ad up soon, and he better get a response within a week, otherwise he was _fucked_.

He leaned back in his chair and groaned quietly, feeling sort of bad for snapping at his friend like that. But, he guessed, she got it - she _got_ the disapproving parents, the pressure of having to do better than anyone else, the need to pay back loans and the like. Eddie was an all-or-nothing kind of guy - in his mind, either he did well on this project, or his entire career would go down the drain.

A soft _ping_ snapped him out of his thoughts. He fished his phone out of his pocket and saw that he had an email from Caitlin. A soft smile played around his lips.

“ _I hope this is okay_ ,” the text said. “ _You got this, Thawne!_ ”

Eddie grinned and replied with a _thank you_ and an apology. He realised he shouldn't thank her just yet, just in case she'd wrote something cheeky. He opened the attachment with reluctance, breathing a sigh of relief at the ad. It wasn't cheeky, and it went straight to the point without harshness. Caitlin always had a way of doing that.

He glided on the wheels of his chair to grab the laptop from under his bed and glided back once he'd retrieved it. Eddie opened it, it lighting up immediately.

_**Aspiring artist looking for nude model (m/f/nb) for important (!!) project. Pays 30$/hour. Contact: Eddie Thawne (ethawne@edu.ccu.com).**_

He posted the ad on the University’s website, praying that someone, anyone, would see it.

 

Eddie got an answer faster than he’d expected - only an hour after he had posted his ad, he received a very enthusiastic-sounding email from a B Allen ( _Barry_ , as the content of the message told him). Eddie couldn’t help but smile as he replied, asking for more details.

They emailed back and forth for a while. Barry seemed to be a nice guy, didn’t appear to have issues with nudity, and was trying to get through college so he could do what he loved (forensic science, as Eddie found out quickly) - Eddie could relate. They'd talked for a few days, getting to know each other so it wouldn't be _that_ weird when they met the next week.

 

When the day inevitably came, Eddie felt as though the pair of them knew each other pretty well, but not so well that it would ruin the professionalism. He fretted about the layout and the lighting for the majority of the day, and the knock at his door caused most of his workage to fall. He cursed, made sure everything was still in its place, before he went to open the door.

 _Nothing_ could have prepared him for what - or rather, _who_ \- was waiting on the other side. The man was a little taller than him, lanky, didn’t seem to know what to do with his arms as he raised them, then put them down at his sides again. Dark brown hair fell over his forehead, his wide, expressive green-ish eyes brightened as he flashed Eddie a smile. His skin was smooth, milky-white, dotted with freckles and small, dark moles. He looked like _art_.

“Uhm, Eddie?”

Eddie realised he’d been staring, jaw dropped, and shook his head to clear his thoughts. “Uh, yeah. Barry?”

Barry nodded, gave him another one of his bright smiles - he seemed to have a never-ending repertory of those - and ducked his head. “So…”

“Right.” Eddie stepped aside to let him in, trying to ignore the jolt that went through his body when Barry’s arm brushed his. Eddie’s mind couldn’t decide between _I want to paint him_ and _I want to do unspeakable things to him_.

He closed the door with a sigh, resisting the urge to rest his forehead against it. He could _not_ think about Barry that way, no matter how gorgeous he was - this was a professional interaction, nothing more. Once he'd collected himself, deciding that he could do this without... distractions, he turned to face Barry. Barry was looking around, a faint frown of concentration on his features. Eddie cleared his throat, and Barry turned, the frown turning to a sheepish smile.

"So. Uh, when do you want me to get naked?"

Eddie choked out a laugh, his face getting hot. “I think there’ll be plenty of time for that later. Uhm, I really just need your face today.”

Barry blushed, red dusting his cheeks, and bit his bottom lip. "Pfft. I knew that." He looked around, chewing his lip more. "Where do you need me?"

Eddie tried to commit the sudden colour change of Barry’s cheeks to memory, ignoring the pull he felt towards him. _I need you in my bed_ , his brain supplied unhelpfully. “Uh, just over here, on the stool,” Eddie gestured to the makeshift atelier he’d set up, reaching out his hand to lay on Barry’s shoulder but stopping himself just in time.

“Oh. Right.” Barry looked at him over his shoulder, grinning briefly, before taking a seat.

Eddie cursed himself for the tingle he felt at Barry's smile once Barry had turned to face the front, taking a deep breath to calm. He ran a hand through his hair and made his way to his own stool, behind his canvas. Only a small tilt of his head and he would have a perfect view of Barry, which was just what he needed.

"Do you need me to pull a face or...?"

Eddie smiled faintly. "Just resting will be fine." He had to stop himself from winking, which caused him to frown a little. _What the hell was going on?_

Barry grinned and nodded before schooling his face into a neutral expression. He shifted in his seat a little when he was asked to change positions, so Eddie could draw his half-profile.

Eddie was pretty sure this was even worse than Barry’s smile - his eyes were clear, focused, looking at the other side of the room (probably trying to scan the bookshelf), with small laughter lines in the corners; his lips were plump, rosy red, slightly parted, looking shiny as if Barry had just licked them;  the muscles in his neck shifted as Barry lifted and rolled his shoulders, distracting Eddie from what he should be focusing on - treating his model like a model. He was supposed to _create_ a piece of art, not _gawk_ at one.

Eddie shook himself out of his reverie. He took the pencil from behind his ear - small habit that he’d acquired at the age of five - and began sketching Barry’s head roughly. His pencil was flying over the canvas as he got lost in his work - this, _this_ was what it was all about, this was why Barry was here in the first place, not to serve as Eddie’s living wet dream.

It was quiet for a while, the only sounds coming from the pencil scratching on the canvas. Eddie took comfort in the familiar noise, trying not to look at Barry too often to avoid more distraction.

“So,” Barry broke the silence by clearing his throat, making Eddie look up. “Is it always this quiet when you work?”

Eddie chuckled. “Getting bored?”

“Uhm.” Barry shrugged, a sheepish smile on his face. “A little. Mind turning on some music, or does that distract you too much?”

 _You distract me too much._ “Sure.”

Eddie placed his pencil down, it rolling somewhere and clattering onto the floor. He ignored it, leaning over and grabbing his phone. He already had a playlist on there, from when he'd had a project previously and couldn't concentrate. A lot of thought had gone into it, calming music along with a few random songs that Eddie just liked. He put it on a low volume, tossing it on the bed behind him before going back to his piece. Since his pencil had rolled off, Eddie decided to use a shading one to highlight the features he'd already drawn. It was quiet for a while, the lull of the ambience bringing him into a concentration he rarely captured. That was until a low-pitched hum that wasn't from the music pulled him from it. His pencil stilled on the canvas, and Eddie couldn't bring himself to move it, trying so desperately to focus on the soft sound. It wasn't an unpleasant sound, not at all, but _damn_ , it was distracting.

He took another, thinner pencil and went to draw Barry’s eyes - he attempted to, anyway. The low humming noise washed over him as he tried to capture the expression in those eyes on canvas, wishing he could move closer to see the different shades of green mixing together to create something entirely unique.

Eddie gnawed at his bottom lip as he drew, pencil digging into the canvas as he concentrated. He took it from where it was drawing, shaking his hand to relax it some tiny bit. As he did so, he glanced to Barry, whose Adam's apple was bobbing as he hummed to the music. Slowing his hand down, he allowed himself to study that part. The way it moved ever so slightly with a pitch change, the way it had a whole constellation of freckles and moles on, _the way it would feel vibrating underneath Eddie's tongue_. Eddie bit his lip so hard it drew blood at the last thought. He couldn't and wouldn't allow himself to have these thoughts. With every little one, this got less and less professional, and more and more personal. For that, his drawings would suffer, and subsequently his dream and desires. Besides, Barry didn’t deserve this; he only wanted to make some money, this meant nothing more to him.

Eddie put the finishing touches to this part of his drawing, making sure he had all freckles and moles in the right place. He moved his stool back a little when he thought he was done, first looking at his work, then up at Barry’s face, then back down. Even though it was good, he was slightly frustrated with himself - it was _impossible_ to capture everything the man in front of him was on canvas, he was sure, no matter how hard he tried. However, it would have to do for now - their hour was up.

Eddie cleared his throat. “Uhm. I’m finished. Just-- Just have the head so far, I’m gonna need to do your neck and everything next time.”

It seemed as though Barry had gone into a trance, a surprised yelp cutting off the previous humming. "Oh. Uh, yeah. Yeah." He flashed Eddie another heart warming (or heart breaking, in Eddie’s case) smile, before standing.

Eddie stood too, leading Barry out with a smile that crept onto his features just from Barry's one given to him earlier.

Barry turned around before they reached the door, causing Eddie to almost crash into him. He caught himself in time, but Barry had wrapped a steadying hand around his elbow and a spark of electricity was shooting up Eddie’s arm and--

“So.” Barry cocked his head. “When can I see it? The drawing, I mean.”

Eddie tried for a smile. “I don’t… usually show my work to anyone before it’s finished.”

Barry nodded understandingly and returned his smile, eyes brightening. “Sure. I just…” He paused and bit his lip. “Was that weird today? We didn’t really talk. I don’t know how you normally do it with your models but--” Barry’s blush almost matched Eddie’s at noticing his word choice. “I mean, I don’t-- Not _do it_ do it. Just, uh…”

“Yeah, no, I get it,” Eddie rushed out before Barry could say anything else. “It depends. I’m fine with talking, not talking… I’m also content with listening to you sing under your breath. Whatever’s comfortable for you.”

Barry ducked his head. “You weren’t annoyed by that?”

Eddie noticed that Barry’s fingers were still around his arm, tightening ever so slightly for a moment before letting go. “No,” Eddie said, a little out of breath. “No, you can, uh, feel free to do that again. You’ve got a nice voice.”

Barry gave him another one of his brilliant smiles. Eddie already knew he was never going to grow tired of those. “Thank you. That’s, uh-- Thanks.”

Eddie grinned. “You’re welcome.” He slapped a hand to his forehead. “Shit, I almost forgot the money, wait.”

“Oh, uhm, right,” Barry said as he accepted the money, his smile seemingly getting a little darker. “Thanks. Uh. Tomorrow again?”

“Sure, yeah.” Eddie shrugged. “Just… same time? You know, because of the natural lighting and everything.”

“Okay.” Barry gave him another, smaller smile and a wave as he stepped outside. “See you.”

Eddie nodded and leaned against the doorway, watching his retreating figure. He sighed, wondering how the _hell_ he had ended up getting to draw one of the most beautiful people he’d ever met.


	2. Chapter 2

The next day soon rolled by, and just like arranged, Barry arrived at the same time. Eddie answered the door, being greeted by a radiant smile.

"Hey, Eddie."

Eddie bit back his own smile. "Hey, Barry." His eyes scanned Barry's face briefly. Somehow, _somehow_ Barry had gotten more attractive over night.

"You gonna let me in? Or is it gonna be like--"

Eddie shook his head. "No, no. Come in." He moved from the doorway, lingering a moment to look as Barry passed him, quickly shaking himself from it afterwards. He closed the door with a huff, clicking his tongue as he turned, a similar situation as yesterday unfurling. "Uh. If you could sit where you did yesterday, that would be great."

Barry gave another smile, nodding his head. "'Course. So, what part of me do you want to draw?" He asked, taking a seat and wriggling to get himself comfortable.

Eddie ran a hand through his hair and sat too. "I was thinking the torso?" He tried, raising a brow to Barry. "I mean, I have your facial features okay, I may have to go over them but--"

He was cut off by Barry nodding. "Okay." Barry cleared his throat. "Shirtless, right?"

“Uhm, yeah, that would be--” Eddie stopped when Barry pulled his T-shirt over his head without waiting for an answer, exposing soft-looking skin stretched over tight muscles and dotted with moles. Eddie’s first instinct was to _touch_ , to connect the dark dots on light skin with each other to create the most beautiful abstract figures on Barry’s body. His second instinct - he was pretty sure it came from his _artist’s brain_ , as he liked to call it - was to _look_ , to memorise the hard as well as the soft lines of Barry’s form, to capture them on paper, on canvas, on the _wall_ , on whatever he had at his disposal. His fingers twitched and he reached for the pencil behind his ear immediately, letting it fly over his drawing surface without looking away from Barry. He drew like this for some ten minutes, reluctantly looking away to double check that he was doing everything correctly, and not drawing Barry's torso over his head. Eddie felt Barry’s eyes on him the entire time, refusing to catch them because he would get distracted again.

When he was about halfway done with his work, Eddie was startled out of his concentration by a clearing of throat. “So, uhm, in your emails you said this was your first time looking for a model via ads. Who’s usually doing it?”

Eddie smiled and flexed his hand to relax it. “Friends, acquaintances, people I meet in class… Most of the time, my friend Caitlin volunteers. She’s got the face for it.”

Eddie wasn’t sure if he’d just imagined Barry’s smile getting a little sadder or not. “Oh. Is she your… I mean, are you two--?”

“What?” Eddie frowned. “Oh god, no. She’s like my sister. That would be-- no.”

“Oh,” Barry said again. “Yeah, no, I get that.”

They were quiet for a moment, the only sound in the room being pencil scraping on canvas, before Eddie spoke up again. “What about you?”

“Hmm?”

“Got a girlfriend? ...Or boyfriend?”

Barry chuckled a little and ducked his head; Eddie noticed the subtle but still visible colour change on his chest, going from milky white to soft pink. “No, no, I don’t have either of those. Unfortunately.”

Eddie quirked his brow and gave him a smile. “Pity.” He received a hum in reply. Eddie thought they would fall back into comfortable silence but Barry kept talking.

“So, what do you do when you’re not making art?”

Eddie shrugged. “Same as anyone else, I guess? I go to class, hang out with friends, I work--”

“Where?”

“There’s a coffee shop down the road, you know it?”

“Jitters?” Eddie nodded. “Oh my god.” Eddie looked up just in time to catch Barry’s wide smile. “My best friend works there! But… strange, she never mentioned you.”

Eddie raised a questioning brow. “Why should she?”

The blush on Barry’s face and neck and _chest_ became darker. “Uhm. No reason.”

Eddie shook his head. “I work night shifts, alone. I don’t really have time during the day. I don’t even know my co-workers.”

“Oh,” Barry repeated. “But if you’re busy all day and work all night, when the hell do you sleep? Do you even _need_ sleep? Are you a vampire?”

Eddie laughed. “No, just used to little sleep, I guess.”

Barry was quiet for a moment, looking thoughtful. “You know,” he said, eyes wide and concerned. “There’s something incredibly sad about you.”

Eddie’s hand stilled on the canvas. “I guess,” he mumbled. “You’re good at reading people.”

Barry shrugged before remembering that he was supposed to stay in his pose. “I guess,” he echoed and smiled at Eddie so genuinely he couldn’t help but return it. “Hey, when are you gonna be done? I’m really hungry, we could grab some dinner.”

Eddie swallowed around the lump in his throat. Was Barry _pitying_ him? “Soon. But there’s no need to, I can--”

“Tell you what,” Barry interrupted with a grin. “I take you out for dinner if you give me a copy of your drawing.”

Eddie looked up at him with a frown. “You don’t even know if it’s any good.” It was rather good, he found, but that was no guarantee that other people would think so as well.

“I’ve got a feeling about it.” Barry gave him another grin. “So? What do you say, Thawne?”

Eddie smiled back. “Of course, Allen.”

After that, they did fall into a silence (apart from Eddie's pencil on the canvas). Eddie drew for another half hour or so, before a grumble from Barry's stomach brought him away from the drawing again.

Eddie laughed and put his pencil back behind his ear. “I think that’s enough for today.” After a quick look at his watch, he cursed quietly. “It’s been over an hour anyway. Got a bit carried away.”

Barry shrugged and pulled his T-shirt over his head. “That’s okay, don’t have anything planned anyway. ‘Cept taking you out.” He grinned, dimples appearing in his cheeks, and Eddie couldn’t help but smile back.

 

Eddie let Barry drag him to the nearest Big Belly Burger, where Barry ignored his protests and ordered enough food for an entire football team. While Barry dug in, Eddie watched him with a small smile, picking at a fry. When Barry noticed he wasn’t eating with as much enthusiasm, he frowned.

“What’s wrong?”

Eddie shook his head and finally took his burger, taking a small bite. “Nothing. This is just…”

“Oh. It’s weird, isn’t it? We don’t even know each other.”

“No, no, just… unusual. I don’t normally have dinner with my models, unless I’m good friends with them.”

Barry gave him an embarrassed smile. “I’m not sure if that’s a good thing.”

Eddie tried for a reassuring smile to give to Barry. "No." He repeated. "Just different. Not bad."

Barry pressed his lips together, grinned and ducked his head before going back to his food. Eddie couldn’t help but let his eyes wander over his slightly flushed cheeks (and why was it so _easy_ to make Barry blush?), his bright green eyes, the messy hair and the teeth biting down on his lip. Eddie shook his head to clear his - decidedly inappropriate - thoughts and got back to his dinner.

 

When they left Big Belly Burger, Eddie felt like he _knew_ Barry - Barry had told him about his family situation, about his desire to help people with his science, about his need for money because he couldn’t get a job because he was so focused on studying. Eddie spent the majority of the meal listening to him talk, sometimes offering an appropriate comment. Barry didn’t seem to mind that he didn’t talk much.

“So,” Barry turned around with a smile. “That was fun. Sorry for babbling, I just--” He cut off, ducking his head. _Adorable_ , Eddie thought, a small grin on his lips.

“It’s fine. It _was_ fun.” Eddie offered a smile, pushing his hands in the pockets of his pants. “So… What would you say to having a longer session this weekend? I need to hand in the project soon and I still need to do touch-ups and everything after finishing.”

“Sounds good.” Barry looked up and cocked his head. “I could do Sunday…?”

“Sunday’s perfect.” _You’re perfect_. Eddie bit his lip and shifted from one foot to the other. “I’ll see you then. Thanks for dinner.”

Eddie was about to turn around when Barry’s fingers were around his wrist all of a sudden, sending electric shocks up his arm that made him jump in surprise. Barry snatched his hand back immediately, rubbing his knuckles with a sheepish smile.

“Sorry.” Eddie wondered what else could make Barry as breathless as he sounded now. “I just… Can we meet up before that, too? Like… as friends? Grabbing a cup of coffee or something? No, that’s-- It’s a dumb idea, I’m sorry, I--”

“No, I mean, yes, of course.” In a bold move - bold for him, anyway - Eddie lay his hand on Barry’s shoulder. “Let’s grab a coffee…?”

“Tomorrow? I mean, if you’ve got time, I--”

“Of course.” Eddie repeated and smiled. Barry returned it, about a hundred times brighter and happier, and Eddie couldn’t help but _stare_. How was it that Barry didn’t have an abundance of admirers trailing behind him at all times? “Sure, just-- Uhm, I’ll give you my number?”

“Yes!” Barry handed him his phone with a grin, bouncing on the balls of his feet. “I’ll text you when I get home.”

Barry’s lockscreen was a picture of him hugging a giant dog. Eddie couldn’t help but smile while typing in his number. When he handed the phone back his fingers brushed against Barry’s, sending another spark up his hand. This time Barry didn’t pull away immediately, seemed to linger as he smiled softly.

“Thank you,” Barry muttered and pocketed his phone. Eddie cleared his throat and nodded, taking a step back.

“I should-- Bye.”

Barry grinned in response. “See you soon, Eddie.”

_Not soon enough_ , Eddie thought as he watched Barry walk away.

  
They ended up texting almost all night - Jitters was, unsurprisingly, almost empty all throughout Eddie’s shift, so he had plenty of time to reply to Barry’s continuous stream of messages. Just as he got home from his shift Barry’s texts started coming in more sporadically and Eddie told him to go to bed, to which Barry replied with a heart, which _shouldn’t_ have made Eddie smile and blush - he wasn’t a bumbling High School student anymore - but it _did_. He was glad no one was around to see him fumble with his phone until he had the perfect response - “ _good night_ ” - that took him longer than he’d have liked to admit. Barry messaged back a " _sleep well_ ", to which Eddie replied a " _you too_ " and a smiley. He switched off the sound of his phone and put it on the beside table, closing his eyes with a dopey expression on his features, falling asleep feeling content. 


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so we noticed we haven't updated this fic in months... oops?? so sorry to everyone who's been waiting for an update, we'll try to continue and eventually finish this!!

Tomorrow rolled around soon enough, and Eddie woke to three new messages. As he read through them (one from Caitlin and two emails from professors asking him for final pieces), another beeped through. Eddie couldn't help the small smile that found its way onto his lips at the small "Barry" that was written along the top. He didn't bother replying to any other messages, slight guilt in his stomach at ignoring Caitlin, and opened Barry's message.

_**Barry** : Hey. So, uh, we didn't really agree on a time for today._

Eddie smiled a little wider at the message, Barry still managing to keep a little bit of his nervous stutter in a text that could've easily been near perfect. He rolled his thumbs a little as he thought of a reply.

_**You** : Oh yeah. I'm available after two?_

Eddie chewed the side of his cheek after he sent it, nervousness bubbling in his stomach.

_**Barry** : 2.15? Then you have time to do whatever it is you do before meeting people._

Eddie's smile softened at the message back, and he bit his bottom lip to refrain from beaming like the fucking sun.

_**You** : 2.15 is fine. :)_

Eddie got a response almost immediately.

_**Barry** : Sweet. Can't wait ;)_

Eddie did a double take at the response. Was that-- was that a winking face? Did Barry see this as more--

_**Barry** : Crap. Not ;). I meant :)_

_**Barry** : Because you did one, I kind of felt like I needed to too._

Relief washed over Eddie, tinged a little with sadness. Fuck. He was in too deep.

****  
  


The day passed too fast and too slow at the same time. Before he knew it, Eddie had entered Jitters and was looking for a free table. He found one in a quiet corner in the far back, plopped down on a chair and let his bag fall to the floor. He was already a little late but Barry still wasn’t here, and Eddie would have been lying if he’d said he wasn’t worried. He tapped a rhythm on the tabletop with his fingers, worrying his bottom lip between his teeth.

Eddie was torn from his thoughts by the clearing of a throat. When he looked up, a pretty, dark-haired waitress was smiling at him. “What can I get you?”

“Uhm, just a latte, thanks.”

The waitress hummed, then cocked her head and looked at him frowning. “You wouldn’t happen to be _Eddie_ , would you?”

He raised his brows. “Uh. Yeah. I am.”

She grinned brightly and bounced on the balls of her feet - _just like Barry_ , his brain supplied. “I have heard _so much_ about you, it’s so nice to finally meet you! I’m Iris.” Eddie shook the hand she was holding out to him. “Barry’s _always_ late. Don’t worry, he’ll be here.”

Eddie finally connected the dots. “You’re Barry’s friend who works here.” He wanted to slap himself for blurting out the obvious.

Iris rolled her eyes. “ _Best_ friend,” she corrected him good-naturedly. “ _You_ also work here, Barry told me.” He was about to reply when she continued. “I’ll get you that latte and text Barry he should get his ass here now. I swear, that boy…” she mumbled as she walked away.

It took another ten minutes for Barry to arrive in a flurry of “ _I’m sorry_ ”s and “ _Have you been waiting long?_ ”s. Eddie just smiled and shook his head, his eyes sweeping over Barry’s flushed cheeks and the exposed skin of his neck when he took his jacket off. Iris came by with a steaming mug a few seconds later, placing it in front of Eddie and punching Barry’s arm lightly before leaving again.

Barry ducked his head with a sheepish smile, looking up at Eddie through his eyelashes. “Sorry. I’m-- The prof wanted to discuss something and I kinda got carried away explaining--”

“It’s fine,” Eddie interrupted with a smile, hand twitching to reach out to Barry’s. “I really haven’t been waiting that long. I was a little late too, actually.”

“Oh,” Barry whispered and grinned. “That’s-- I don’t know if that’s good, if we’re both prone to being late, but…”

“Doesn’t that mean we’re both on time, then?”

Barry laughed, the sound music to Eddie’s ears, and cocked his head. “I guess so.” Eddie couldn’t help but smile and laugh with him, Barry’s one contagious.

They made small talk for a few minutes, until Iris brought Barry’s drink. Eddie watched him take a sip and close his eyes, letting out a content sigh. He couldn’t stop himself from tracing the lines of Barry’s face with his eyes, internally cursing and looking away.

Barry noticed, Eddie presumed, from the small frown that made it’s way into his features. “Is something wrong?” There was worry evident, and Eddie cursed himself again.

“No!” He said a little too fast and a little too loud. “Nothing’s wrong.” _Just the fact that you’re one of the most beautiful human beings I’ve ever had the pleasure of being in the presence of._

Barry gave him a small smile. “Okay.” He took another sip and cleared his throat. “So, tell me. What does an art student like you do, usually? Do you always have to draw people naked?”

Eddie felt himself flush a light pink, and he shook his head with a small laugh and a smile through a bitten lip. “Not usually.” he joked, a hint of a laugh still in his tone. “Depends on assignments. Or what the model/artist is comfortable with.” He took a sip too. “Human form involves the human body. Naked or not.” He could tell he was rambling, so he cut himself off with a cough, drinking again to cover it.

Barry leaned forward, looking interested. “So you mostly work with people?” He gave Eddie a smile. “Actually, it’s not that hard to believe. This is my first time modelling, and I didn’t think I’d be so comfortable with you. You have something…” He gestured his hand. “Makes being naked in front of you easy.”

Eddie nearly choked on his coffee at the mental image his mind so helpfully supplied, biting his lip near hard enough to bleed to stop himself. “Uh--” he scoffed a small laugh through his nose. “Yeah. Aha, that’s good. I-- I’m glad.” He gave a tight smile and forced himself to stop thinking about _using his hands on Barry (literally)_. “I don’t mostly work with people, though. Just for the past three months or--”

“Oh, god,” Barry’s eyes widened at what he’d just said. “I didn’t mean-- I mean. I don’t feel awkward undressing in front of you.” He frowned. “No, that’s-- I--”

Eddie smiled softly, amused. "I know." He smirked. "Usually I have people hurrying to put their clothes on, not rushing to take them off."

A faint blush spread on Barry’s cheeks as he ducked his head. “Well, I--”

“Hey, everything alright here?” Iris was suddenly by Eddie’s side with a plate of brownies which she put on the table between them, smiling brightly and looking between them.

Barry’s blush appeared to deepen as he startled and cleared his throat. “Uhm. Yeah. Everything’s fine. _Thank you_ , Iris.” He gave her an unreadable look.

Iris seemed to get it, unlike Eddie. She rolled her eyes and punched Barry’s arm; he grimaced and held it protectively. “Alright, alright, I’m leaving. Shout if you need something.”

Barry turned his head to watch her walk away before focusing on Eddie again. “Sorry for that.” He gave Eddie an apologetic grin. “She’s a bit overprotective.”

Eddie shook his head, a small smile on his lips. “It’s fine. You two seem close, that’s nice.”

Barry hummed, grin becoming soft. “Yeah, I guess.” He looked down at his coffee. “So how come you’re only working night shifts?”

Eddie took a brownie and bit off a small piece, trying to stall. He felt Barry’s eyes on him the entire time he was chewing; heat crept into his cheeks at being scrutinised, but he couldn’t say he minded very much. “I don’t know,” he said eventually. “Night shifts are… peaceful. I always have plenty of time to think.”

“Hmm.” Barry looked thoughtful, narrowing his eyes and frowning.

“What?”

Barry bit his lower lip and let it go again; it had a dark pink tinge, now, and Eddie had to force himself to look away. “There’s that sadness again,” Barry remarked quietly. He cleared his throat and took a brownie as well, suddenly seeming a bit embarrassed. “Anyway. Do you like working here?”

“N--” Eddie cut himself off for a moment, thinking. “Well, it’s a job. It pays for art stuff, paints and canvases, shit like that. I don’t mind the work. And it’s… quiet,” he repeated and shrugged.

Barry cocked his head to the side. “You don’t like being around people.”

“Are you analysing me?” Eddie asked, amused but also confused as to what Barry was doing. “You’re very observant.”

Barry huffed out a laugh. “One day I’m gonna work for the police. It’s my job to be observant.” He took a bite off his brownie.

Eddie grinned. “Sooo… What have you observed so far?”

“You’re a very private person,” Barry replied quietly. “You don’t really talk about other people, except your friend Caitlin, which makes me think you don’t talk _to_ other people either.” Barry’s eyes softened, the pink flush on his cheeks still present. “You don’t seem to be having an issue talking to me, though.”

“You’re right.” Eddie chuckled and ducked his head. “You’re good at this.”

They sat in comfortable silence until Barry spoke up again. “That’s all I got. Sorry for… _analysing_ you like that.”

After that, he quickly changed the topic to his own studies. Eddie hadn’t minded that much, honestly - in fact, he was surprised at how little he minded that Barry had found certain things out about him. Still, he decided to go along with it; he didn’t want to embarrass Barry further, and was quite content listening to him speak about forensics.

Much too soon, Barry took a look at his watch and grimaced; Eddie knew what was coming. “You have to leave?” he guessed, hoping he didn’t sound too disappointed.

“I’m so sorry,” Barry sent him an apologetic smile. “I really don’t want to, but I have to go to class. Like, right now. I can’t be late again, my teacher would kill me.”

Eddie caught himself smiling again - he couldn’t help himself, it seemed to come naturally whenever he was around Barry. “It’s okay. We’ll see each other Sunday, yeah?”

Barry nodded and got up, fishing his wallet out of his pocket. “Let me just--”

“No, I got it--”

“No,” Barry interjected with a grin. “Please, let me. As an… apology. For making you uncomfortable. And as a thank you? For agreeing to meet up. I’m sure you have a lot to do and… yeah.” He laughed, and the sound was music to Eddie’s ears.

Eddie watched as Barry left in a hurry, hugging Iris and paying at the counter before he was gone. He leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes for a moment, letting the warm feeling of happiness wash over him.

 


End file.
